This Hallucinogenic Fungus Might Be Behind the Salem Witch Trials
https://www.discovermagazine.com/mind/this-hallucinogenic-fungus-might-be-behind-the-salem-witch-trials
attention. Others argued the accusations were part of a financially-driven plot to take over land and resources.
But what if the victims were actually under the influence of tainted grain?
Bad Bread
Behavioral psychologist Linnda Caporael first suggested the possibility in 1976 when she was a doctoral student in psychology. She argued the summer of 1691 had been wet and hospitable for ergot, a type of fungus that grows on grain — typically rye — in wet conditions. The fungus, Claviceps purpurea, resembles grain when it grows on the crop. Until the 1800s, farmers assumed it was part of the plant and they put it through the mill without realizing it was a toxic fungus.
But ergot is also a hallucinogenic; LSD, most notoriously, is derived from it. Once ingested, there are two responses to ergot poisoning, or ergotism: Convulsive ergotism causes fits, hallucinations, mania, or delirium, while gangrenous ergotism leads to necrotic tissue.
In her landmark paper in Science, Caporael was the first to suggest that the Salem Witch Trials were caused by contaminated grain. The more the villagers of Salem ate bread that had been baked using grain stores from the 1691 harvest, she argued, the more they ingested the toxin and then experienced its side effects — including hallucinations
Caporael referenced the diaries kept by villager Samuel Sewall, who noted the wet and warm spring of 1691 progressed into a hot and stormy summer. For Claviceps purpurea, the conditions were pretty much ideal.
Caporael also contended the ergot ingestion was localized, meaning that not all the grain in the area was tainted and not all the villagers were under the influence. The majority of the accusers lived to the west of the village, or they took their grain supply from farmers who lived west of the village. Eight-five percent of the accused witches lived east of Salem, as did 82 percent of the people who supported their innocence. Ninety-three percent of the adult accusers, in contrast, lived on the east side of Salem. Juvenile accusers also followed the same pattern.